Google Updates Maps App With Easier Access to Offline Maps

Google made a few major changes to the Google Maps app on Android yesterday, and today it’s back with another minor update to correct some issues.

In yesterday’s update there were some major changes like better support for tablets, and a few minor ones such as the removal of Latitude, and offline map access being moved to a location where hardly anyone could find them. Apparently Google heard the confusion and pushed out another update overnight to correct some of these issues.

Offline maps can now be accessed by clicking on the search bar when you have the area you want to save on the screen. When you click on it it will come up with search suggestions and at the very bottom you will find “”Make this map area available offline.” We’re not quite sure why they thought this was a good location for this feature, but at least you don’t have to dig through multiple menus now.

As for the absence of Latitude, you will now find a “Where’s Latitude?” option in the main menu. Clicking on it will take you to a webpage with all of the information about the service being retired on Aug. 9 and how you can use a similar feature in Google+ from here on out.

For those of you that already updated you’ll ned to hit up the Play Store again to grab the update, and for anyone that hadn’t received it as of yet, the first update will include these additional changes. This is currently only on Android phones with no word yet as to when it will appear for the iOS app.